Smoker set



Aug. 21, 1934. J. L. OBERDORFER SMOKER SET Filed Oct. 13, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet l Zhwentor Aug. 21, 1934.

SMOKER SET File d Oct. 13, 1933 2 Sheets-$heet 2 Zhwentqn J. L. OBERDORFE'R 7 1,971,082 7 (Ittorneg Patented Aug. 21, 1934 UNHT srras SMOKER SET Jonas L. Oberdorfer, Syracuse, N. Y.

Application October 13;

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in portable smoker sets, designed for either table or floor use in homes, clubs, refectories or various social gatherings Where cards and other games or amusements are participated in by persons who smoke.

The general object of the invention is to provide a highly artistic and convenient smoker set that comprises a body having a concentric chamher or receptacle to carry a supply of cigarettes; said body being formed with a circular arrange ment' of vertical pockets or slots each adapted to contain a book of .Pullquick matches, which may be ignited by'simply pulling them individually from the books by a quick movement or jerk, without danger of burning the smoker or setting fire to the unused matches or the smokers clothes; the said slots extending through the depth of the body and being arranged to loosely receive the books; the top ends of the slots being contracted in order to prevent the books from being pulled through the said ends when the matchesare forcibly withdrawn, and the books normally being associated with means that frictionally engage corresponding walls of the slots to prevent gravitation and escape of the books through the bottoms of the slots. And a further object is to provide a plurality of trays for collecting ashes, burnt matches and cigarette butts, and for temporarily supporting the lighted cigarettes when not being smoked; said trays, together with the body, being arranged axially and nested and being handled as one part for the purpose of porting and stowing the set. 'But said trays are preferably detachable from the body in order to dispose them within con venient reach of the smokersand so that they may afterwards be emptied, cleansed and reattached to the body when the games or parties are over.

I attain these objects by the means set forth in the detailed description which follows, and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a top plan view of the complete set. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively reduced plan views of the smaller and larger ash trays. Fig. 5 is a top plan of the circular body, the match books and ash trays being omitted. Fig. 6 is a broken vertical cross-section on line 6-6 of Fig. 5 showing the tension means for frictionally holding the match books in place; also showing fric-.

tional means for detachably securing the ash 7 trays to the body. Fig. 7 is a broken vertical 1933, Serial No. 693,502

cross-section taken on line 77 of Fig. 15 showing a match book disposed in the pocket; also showing the abutments that contact the top end of the slot. Figs. 8 and 9 are "respectively a side elevation and an edge view of one of the match books showing the tab in different positions. Fig. 10 is a broken elevational view of the body showing a portion cut away for displaying advertising matter carried by one of the match books, taken in the direction of arrow 10 in Fig. 5.

'In the drawings, 2 represents the one-part relatively heavy body of the set, which is'pre f erably circular in form to reduce its plan area. The body is preferably formed with a cylindrical cup or receptacle 3 that arises above and coincides axially with the main body and may contain a quantity of fresh cigarettes, as C. The main portion of the body 2 is formed with a number of fiat vertical facets 2 that are usually vari-colored for ornamenting the set, and adjacent and parallel to said facets the body is formed with a circular arrangement of vertical slots or pockets 4 in which may be remova bly disposed similar books A of what are known as Pullquick matches, as A. The said slots preferably" extend through the body and are so arranged that the match books may only be inserted and removed at the bottom ends of the slots. To this end, the tops 4 of the slots are contracted (see Figs. 1, 2, 5 and 7) as compared with the bottom ends by means of lateral abutments 4a. that are engaged by the top ends {a of the books to prevent upward withdrawal of the books when the matches are pulled by a strong quick jerk. The body 2, in the present case, is preferably over-weighted in order to allow for the strong pull required to withdraw and simultaneously light the matches without lifting the body. The bottom ends of the books are preferably disposed flush with the corresponding end of the body, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. When the matches of a book are used up, the operator may invert the body and'grip with his fingers the bottom end of the book, withdraw the same and insert a full book. The slots 4, except at their extreme top ends are preferably slightly larger than both the breadth and thickness of the books, in order to allow a slight looseness that facilitates applying and removing the books, as well as provides room for any suitable resilient or springy elements by which the books may be tensioned and held snugly enough to prevent them from accidental escape from the body when the latter is being handled. Such tension elements may comprise tab-like guards a that ordinarily form integral parts of the books for primarily protecting the exposed ends of the matches from being broken in ones pockets or during packaging and shipment. These tabs may be primarily bent downwardly substantially parallel to the adjacent face of the book, and. are utilized in the present case to provide the tension required to hold the books in place, as will be understood by consulting Figs. 6, '7, 8 and 9.

In the present invention, instead of providing the body 2 with depressions or other integral ash-receiving facilities which would be difficult to empty and cleanse and which would necessarily complicate the structure and greatly increase the cost of manufacture, I provide in a novel and simple way a plurality of substantially circular sheet metal ash trays, as .5 and 6, which are preferably slightly larger in diameter than the body 2 and may be readily and'cheaply stamped out by means of suitable dies to provide shallow pan-like portions 5'6' for the collection of ashes, cigarette butts and burnt matches. These trays, together with the body 2, as may be understood by consulting Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6, progressively increase in diameter to such an extent that the body and the trays may be nested, as shown in Figs. 2 and 6. The trays are preferably equipped with shallow molded concave lugs 5b6b to support lighted cigarettes and also with hollow drawnintegral concentric hubs or thimbles 5a6a (see Figs. 1, 3,4 and 6) of such diametersgthat said hubs preferably telescope when the trays are nested, and the hub may be inserted in an axial socket 2c of the body, as shown in Fig. 6. The several attaching thimbles and sockets are preferably accurately machinedso that when thesev parts are assembled as in Figs. 1 and 6, friction may be relied upon to hold the parts together even when subjected to rough handling, as shown in Figs. Y 1 and 2. To prepare the smoker set for use, the body 2 and trays 5 and 6 may be readily and quickly separated from each other in order that the trays may be disposed within convenient reach of the smokers. At the end of smoking intervals, the trays 5 and G'may be emptied, cleansed and reattached to the bodies, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The opposite sides of the match books A are ordinarily imprinted with advertisements of smoker articles, hotels, and the like, which are completely obscured when the books are deposited in the slots 4. In order to adapt the present invention for constantly displaying all such advertising matter, it is proposed to cut away portions of the facets 2 for exposing an imprinted side of the coinciding match book, as shown at 201 in Fig. 10.

What I claim, is

1. In a smoker set, a body having a series of vertical slots disposed about its periphery and extending through the top and bottom of the body, to receive match books or" the pull type having tab-like guards, in the slots and to enable same to be inserted in the slots through the bottoms thereof, and opposite rigid abutments at the upper ends of the slots and projecting laterally into the slots and overlying the respective upper ends of the books to hold the latter against upward movement and to dispose the bottoms of the books substantially flush with the bottom of the body, said tab-like guards being bent downwardly along the adjacent side of the book to engage the adjacent wall of the slot to hold the book against downward movement.

2. In a smoker set, a body having a vertical slot to receive match books of the pull type having tab-like guards, opposite rigid abutments at one end of the slot and projecting laterally into the slot and overlying-the adjacent end of the book from which the matches project, said slot being open at each end whereby to enable the book to be inserted in and withdrawn from the end of the slot opposite to the first named end thereof, the abutments being disposed so as to hold the book against movement in one direction upon the matches being pulled therefrom, and said tab-like guards being bent downwardly along the adjacent side of the book to engage the adjacent wall of the slot to hold the book against reverse movement.

JONAS L. OBERDORFER. 

